John Adams (educator)
Encyclopedia
John Adams was an American educator noted for organizing several hundred Sunday school
s. His life was celebrated by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
in his poem, "The School Boy", which was read at the centennial celebration of Phillips Academy
in 1878, thus recalls him:
, to Captain John Adams, a farmer of Canterbury and an officer in the American Revolutionary War
and Mary Parker, the daughter of Dea. Joshua Parker and Jemima Davenport. He graduated from Yale University
in 1795.
and a passenger on the Mayflower
.
John Adams married, as his second wife, on August 30, 1831 in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York
, Mrs. Mehitable/Mabel Burritt She was born July 19, 1779 in Williamstown
, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
, and died at Jacksonville, Illinois
on July 17, 1856. She was a daughter of Dea. Ebenezer Stratton and Mary Blair.
Mehitable/Mabel married as her first husband at Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts on April 12, 1798, Ely Burritt, born March 12, 1773 at Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York
and died September 1, 1823 in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York. He graduated from Williams College
in 1800, and was licensed to practice medicine at Troy, New York, on March 29, 1802 and quickly gained recognition for his medical skills. He was the eldest son of the Rev. Mr. Blackleach Burritt
Yale College
1765 (a great great grandson of William Leete
, a governor of the Colony of Connecticut)
and Martha Welles (a great great granddaughter of Thomas Welles
, the fourth governor of the Colony of Connecticut).
Academy from 1800–1803, when he took the post as principal of Bacon Academy
in Colchester, Connecticut
. He remained in that position until 1810, when he started at the Phillips Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts
. He remained there through 1832. He also served as the principal of Monroe Academy in Elbridge, New York
, and as the principal of Jacksonville Female Academy in Jacksonville, Illinois
from 1836-1843. The Academy was incorporated in 1903 with Illinois College
becoming an co-educational institution (the first president of Illinois College
, was Edward Beecher
, Yale College
, 1822 and a son of Dr. Lyman Beecher
, Yale College
, 1797). While in Jacksonville, he served as an agent of the American Sunday School Union for the Middle West region, and assisted in the organization of several hundred Sunday Schools.
on April 24, 1863, and is buried there beside his wife, Mehitable/Mabel.
, D.D. (1807–1880) an 1827 graduate of Yale
and a graduate of Andover Theological Seminary, 1830. He was a principal founder as well as president of Union Theological Seminary
.
His daughter, Mary Elizabeth Adams (1842–1918), married on November 9, 1864, John Crosby Brown (1838–1909), the son of James Brown and Eliza Maria Coe. James Brown was a well known banker and founder of the family company Brown Bros. & Co. James and Eliza lost several of their children when the steamship SS Arctic
sank in 1854.
John graduated from Columbia University
in 1859. From 1866 onward, he was the senior partner of Brown Bros. & Co.
This company merged in 1931 with Harriman Brothers & Company
to become Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
one of the oldest and largest partnership banks in the United States.
A son of John and Mary Brown's was William Adams Brown (1865–1943). He was born in New York City and was educated privately at first, and then he went to St. Paul's School
in Concord, New Hampshire
. He received from Yale University
an A.B. degree in 1886, an A.M. degree in 1888 and a Ph.D. in 1901. He graduated from the Union Theological Seminary
in 1890, and studied at the University of Berlin from 1890 to 1892. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1893. He was a member of the Yale Corporation
from 1917 to 1934, and was acting president of Yale University from 1919 to 1920.
A great grandson of John Adams's was William Adams Delano
.
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
s. His life was celebrated by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
in his poem, "The School Boy", which was read at the centennial celebration of Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in 1878, thus recalls him:
Early life
Adams was born in 1772 at Canterbury, ConnecticutCanterbury, Connecticut
Canterbury is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,692 at the 2000 census.-History:The area was first settled in the 1680s as Peagscomsuck, consisting mainly of land north of Norwich, south of New Roxbury, Massachusetts and west of the Quinebaug River and the...
, to Captain John Adams, a farmer of Canterbury and an officer in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and Mary Parker, the daughter of Dea. Joshua Parker and Jemima Davenport. He graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1795.
Marriage
John Adams married on May 8, 1798 as his first wife Elizabeth Ripley, with whom he had ten children. She was born on March 12, 1776 and died on February 23, 1829. She was a daughter of Gamaliel Ripley and Judith Perkins and was a great great granddaughter of Governor William Bradford (1590–1657) of the Plymouth ColonyPlymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
and a passenger on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
.
John Adams married, as his second wife, on August 30, 1831 in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
, Mrs. Mehitable/Mabel Burritt She was born July 19, 1779 in Williamstown
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
, and died at Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
on July 17, 1856. She was a daughter of Dea. Ebenezer Stratton and Mary Blair.
Mehitable/Mabel married as her first husband at Williamstown, Berkshire County, Massachusetts on April 12, 1798, Ely Burritt, born March 12, 1773 at Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and died September 1, 1823 in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York. He graduated from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in 1800, and was licensed to practice medicine at Troy, New York, on March 29, 1802 and quickly gained recognition for his medical skills. He was the eldest son of the Rev. Mr. Blackleach Burritt
Blackleach Burritt
Blackleach Burritt was a preacher during the American Revolutionary War. During the American War of Independence, he was incarcerated in the Sugar House Prison-Early life and ancestors:...
Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
1765 (a great great grandson of William Leete
William Leete
Governor William Leete was Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683....
, a governor of the Colony of Connecticut)
and Martha Welles (a great great granddaughter of Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles is the only man in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and from 1640–1649 served as the colony's secretary...
, the fourth governor of the Colony of Connecticut).
Career
He taught at the Plainfield, New JerseyPlainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population increased to a record high of 49,808....
Academy from 1800–1803, when he took the post as principal of Bacon Academy
Bacon Academy
Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States.In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars . The endowment was to theThis established the academy that bears his name...
in Colchester, Connecticut
Colchester, Connecticut
Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,551 at the 2000 census. In 2005 it was ranked 57th on the "100 Best Places to Live" in all of the United States, conducted by CNN...
. He remained in that position until 1810, when he started at the Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
. He remained there through 1832. He also served as the principal of Monroe Academy in Elbridge, New York
Elbridge, New York
Elbridge may refer to:* Elbridge, New York * Elbridge, New York...
, and as the principal of Jacksonville Female Academy in Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
from 1836-1843. The Academy was incorporated in 1903 with Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
becoming an co-educational institution (the first president of Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
, was Edward Beecher
Edward Beecher
Edward Beecher was a noted theologian, the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher. He was born August 27, 1803 in East Hampton, New York. He graduated from Yale College in 1822. After this he studied theology at Andover. In 1826, he became the pastor...
, Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, 1822 and a son of Dr. Lyman Beecher
Lyman Beecher
Lyman Beecher was a Presbyterian minister, American Temperance Society co-founder and leader, and the father of 13 children, many of whom were noted leaders, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella Beecher Hooker, Catharine Beecher, and Thomas...
, Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, 1797). While in Jacksonville, he served as an agent of the American Sunday School Union for the Middle West region, and assisted in the organization of several hundred Sunday Schools.
Death
He died in Jacksonville, IllinoisJacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
on April 24, 1863, and is buried there beside his wife, Mehitable/Mabel.
Descendants
A son from his first marriage was the Rev. Dr. William AdamsWilliam Adams (minister)
William Adams was a noted clergyman and academic.-Early life:He was born in Colchester, Connecticut in 1807 to John Adams , a 1795 graduate of Yale who was an American educator noted for organizing several hundred Sunday schools, and Elizabeth Ripley, the daughter of Gamaliel Ripley and Judith...
, D.D. (1807–1880) an 1827 graduate of Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and a graduate of Andover Theological Seminary, 1830. He was a principal founder as well as president of Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
.
His daughter, Mary Elizabeth Adams (1842–1918), married on November 9, 1864, John Crosby Brown (1838–1909), the son of James Brown and Eliza Maria Coe. James Brown was a well known banker and founder of the family company Brown Bros. & Co. James and Eliza lost several of their children when the steamship SS Arctic
SS Arctic
The SS Arctic was a 3,000-ton Paddle steamer in the Collins Line steamships. A sister-ship to the SS Pacific that went into service in 1852, the ship was at the time the largest and most splendid of the line and was in operation in the Liverpool packet...
sank in 1854.
John graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1859. From 1866 onward, he was the senior partner of Brown Bros. & Co.
Brown Bros. & Co.
Brown Bros. & Co. was an investment bank from 1818 until its merger with Harriman Brothers & Company in 1931 to form Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.-History:...
This company merged in 1931 with Harriman Brothers & Company
Harriman Brothers & Company
Harriman Brothers & Company was an investment bank and brokerage firm founded by brothers W. Averell Harriman and E. Roland Harriman in 1927. In 1931, the firm merged with Brown Bros. & Co. to form Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.-History:...
to become Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is an American investment bank and securities firm, founded in 1818, it is the oldest and largest private bank in the United States. Brown Brothers Harriman serves clients globally in three main businesses: Investment Banking & Advisory, Wealth Management, Commercial...
one of the oldest and largest partnership banks in the United States.
A son of John and Mary Brown's was William Adams Brown (1865–1943). He was born in New York City and was educated privately at first, and then he went to St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
. He received from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
an A.B. degree in 1886, an A.M. degree in 1888 and a Ph.D. in 1901. He graduated from the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in 1890, and studied at the University of Berlin from 1890 to 1892. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1893. He was a member of the Yale Corporation
Yale Corporation
The Yale Corporation, sometimes, and more formally, known as The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.The Corporation comprises 19 members:...
from 1917 to 1934, and was acting president of Yale University from 1919 to 1920.
A great grandson of John Adams's was William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano , an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long Island and elsewhere, building townhouses, country houses, clubs, banks and buildings for...
.